Afterward: The Briefcase
by blackangus
Summary: This is a challenge story based on "The Briefcase" (Season 2, Episode 12). Edie's dander is raised by a revelation at the end of the episode. This is one way that loose end might be tied up.


**Peter Gunn and Edie Hart were created by Blake Edwards. No profit is made from the use of the characters and no infringement is intended.**

_This is an afterward to "The Briefcase" S2 EP12, an episode in which Edie Hart is not very happy upon finding out that Peter Gunn's client "Lavinia Maxine" has been in his bedroom. It was all very innocent but still enough to get Edie's dander up. This short extra scene was written as a challenge with Melchy, each of us contributing three words and a phrase that had to be used in a story of 1,200 words (not including introductory remarks and title). My words are strawberry, bribe and puny and my phrase is "keep your shirt on". Melchy's words are rope, picnic and nuzzle and her phrase is "not for a million bucks". All words and phrases contributed are in bold type._

**Afterward: The Briefcase**

Peter Gunn emptied the take-out bag from Miguel's, setting aside the containers that held the contents of two combination plates – enchiladas, rice, tamales, tacos and fried tortillas with melted cheese. He peered into the living room to be certain Edie wasn't around before removing the pint of ice cream from a separate small brown sack and surreptitiously sticking it in the freezer. He'd made a quick stop at The Home Made Ice Cream Shoppe to get the container of **strawberry**, Edie's current favorite, and retrieved their supper at the little Mexican restaurant before arriving at Mother's to pick up his girl. At least he hoped she was still his girl. She'd been very closemouthed during the drive to his apartment. He wondered what had been going on in her head while she'd been at Mother's singing and he'd been at the 13th Precinct putting things in order with Jacoby.

The PI pulled plates and silverware from their respective cabinets and drawers, filled the plates from the food in the containers and carried their supper into the living room. He placed everything by the hearth then walked over to look up at the open bedroom door on the second floor landing.

"Edie?" The banging sounds that had been coming from the room since Edie went up to change clothes came to an abrupt halt. He supposed that was a good sign, unless those noises meant she was emptying her personal belongings from the drawers and the closet. "What do you want to drink?"

Edie stepped out of the bedroom, wearing pink and white flannel lounge pants and one of his t-shirts, and stood at the stair rail directing a tight-lipped frown down his way. She lifted her right hand, which held a wadded up bundle of something, and heaved it at him, smacking him in the face before he could think to move out of the way. The dark blue pajamas Lavinia Maxine had appropriated when she'd snuck into his apartment to hide – and he had yet to figure out how she'd gotten in – fell to the floor in a puddle of fabric.

"If anybody wears your pajamas when you're not in them it will be me!"

"Only you, dear heart," he answered back, trying to keep from smiling.

"What was she doing in them anyway?"

"I'm not really sure, she never gave me a direct answer when I asked that same question. Just said something about having to come here. But then again I was in a certain amount of pain after being kicked in the shin by one of those pointy high heels of yours so I wasn't in the mood to do a lot of listening." He bent to pick up the pajamas and headed toward the stairs.

"That's a **puny** excuse if I ever heard one– and I never did get an explanation about why she was in your bedroom. _And_ don't you dare come up here until you get rid of those."

The PI wondered if she meant it was a puny excuse coming from him or on the part of Lavinia Maxine. And these were his favorite pajamas. He looked from the blue silk to the blonde and opened his mouth to say that very thing but at the expression on her face thought better of it. He supposed he could put them in the box flagged for the Salvation Army. He tossed the pajamas in the basket inside the laundry room door to be washed beforehand, hearing Edie come downstairs as he did so. He found her in the kitchen.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Pete asked, accepting the two bottles she pushed into his hands, one Coca-Cola and the other Budweiser. He'd found that sometimes pretending ignorance was the safest route a man could take. He loved the woman dearly despite her jealous streak and suspicious nature, both of which were more in the line of teasing than anything else. He wouldn't trade her for anything, **not for a million bucks**.

"You _still_ haven't explained what she was doing in the bedroom." She gave him one of those wholly Edie looks that was hard to describe, a combination of aggravation, humor and suspicion. "Please tell me she didn't decide to try out the bed too while she had your pajamas on. I'd hate for you to have to buy a new mattress for a second time in three months!" she seethed, hands at her hips.

"**Keep your shirt on**, honey," the dark-haired man soothed, stepping aside so she could precede him into the next room.

"Don't worry... I plan to," she answered with sweet sarcasm, passing him by.

Pete decided that didn't sound very encouraging. Nor did the near-silence they engaged in during their meal. He carried the plates into the kitchen and returned with two dessert bowls heaped with strawberry ice cream, his lips tipping in a smile as he placed them on the coffee table and handed Edie a spoon and sat back down beside her on the carpeted floor.

"If this is a **bribe** to divert my attention it won't work." She licked her lips, enjoying the cold treat. Pete enjoyed the view then picked up his own spoon.

"I locked her in the bedroom to keep her out of the way." The ice cream wasn't bad, he decided, strawberry not something he'd normally choose for himself. "Didn't last long, she jimmied the door."

"You were too nice. I would have found a **rope** and tied her to a chair," Edie commented archly. "_And_ stuffed a sock in her mouth. Lavinia Maxine is obviously a woman of many talents."

"And she knows how to use them to her advantage."

"Pete... I'm sorry you had to kill a man," the woman offered in a soft voice, setting her spoon down for a moment and raising concerned blue eyes to meet his gaze. She lifted a hand to his face, her fingers trailing gently down his cheek. He tilted his head and kissed her palm. "And that your client turned out to be such a..." Her voice trailed off and she just shrugged.

"The job was certainly no **picnic**..." he admitted. His expression showed appreciation of her solicitude, after a moment a hint of a smile breaking through. "As a matter of fact..." he lifted a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth, "...the only bright spot was the way you took Lavinia Maxine down with that bottle of whiskey."

Edie smiled and the PI couldn't help but lean in to kiss her, his lips trailing along her cheek to the side of her neck to **nuzzle** against the warm skin they found there. Those lips were cool from the ice cream, causing the woman to shiver and to imagine them roaming other more intimate parts of her body.

"Pete..."

"You can be my partner in crime any time," the man said.

She stood, grabbing his hand to urge him up, and gave a teasing smile as she pulled him toward the stairs.

"Let's go commit a crime, Mr. Gunn," she winked.


End file.
